This invention relates generally to aligning the towing hitch components on a towing vehicle and on that which is being towed, and more particularly to methods and apparatus for facilitating such alignment.
A driver of a motor vehicle often has difficulty in aligning the trailer hitch component on the rear of the towing vehicle with the trailer hitch component on the vehicle or trailer to be towed. The driver typically relies on a second individual to direct the alignment from outside the towing vehicle or completes the alignment manually. Particularly, an individual driver attempting such an alignment is faced with the frustration of attempting alignment while in the driver's seat and unable to directly view the hitch components. Such a task may involve repeated exits and reentries from the towing vehicle to view the alignment of the hitch components and adjust the position of the towing vehicle accordingly. This is a cumbersome process which is especially daunting for individuals of limited mobility who find repeated exits and entries of the towing vehicle to be difficult and uncomfortable. There is also the risk of backing the towing vehicle directly into the trailer and causing considerable damage.
Typically, and with smaller trailers such as trailers for boats less than twenty feet in length, the user manually completes the final alignment. Specifically, once the towing vehicle has been aligned as close as possible to the trailer, the user will move the tongue of the trailer at least a couple of inches and onto the towing vehicle hitch. For a disabled user, such final manual alignment can be very difficult to complete. In addition, and with larger trailers such as camping trailers and large boat trailers, such manual final alignment is not possible due to the weight of trailing vehicle.
Known devices to aid the individual driver in the alignment of trailer hitch components include flags which are visible to the driver from the driver's seat of the towing vehicle and provide direction for alignment. These devices offer attractive alternatives to unaided trailer hitch alignment, but such devices also have some limitations. For example, many of the known devices do not provide a visible confirmation of the proper alignment of the hitch components on the towing vehicle and the trailer, and there is no visible reference for proper relative positioning of the towing vehicle trailer hitch component. Other known devices which provide a visible reference, for example with a telescoping rod, can be inconvenient to use because they are not easily dissembled and stored, and must be realigned each time the rod is remounted on the trailer. In addition, some known devices are not easily practicable in the dark (e.g., at night on a boat ramp) because the alignment aid is not visible.
It would be desirable to provide a simple trailer hitch alignment apparatus to aid an individual driver in aligning trailer hitch components. It would also be desirable to provide such an apparatus which is easily dismounted, stored and remounted with little or no readjustment required. It would also be desirable to provide such an apparatus which is adjustable to suit a variety of towing vehicle and trailer hitch configurations and which is easily practicable in the dark. It would be further desirable to provide such an apparatus which is adjustable for aiding alignment of an object to be towed with the towing trailer.